LD6 Cargo Containers Outfitted With Luxury Trappings

ANN APRIL 1st "SPECIAL" EDITION: Noting many grounded corporate executives still have the need for safe, reliable -- and discrete -- business aviation transport, cargo giant UPS and Lincoln, NE-based aircraft outfitter Duncan Aviation announced Wednesday a partnership to provide those executives with a new travel option.

Dubbed the "Executive Travel Pod" -- ExecuPod or 'ETP' for short -- the new travel offering allows a corporate tycoon to fly in relative opulence and anonymity, compared with the typical commercial airline flight. Under terms of a trial agreement, Duncan has been contracted to outfit seven LD6 cargo containers with full sound-deadening insulation, luxurious carpeting and a configurable sofa-bed.

Options include a wet bar, wood trim and a 19' flat panel video display programmable to receive satellite broadcasts, or to mimic an exterior window... with a further option to display real-time video from the offices of several worldwide financial institutions, all through a comforting rose-colored filter.

"We think these Executive Travel Pods are just the thing for the busy exec who may have previously opted to take the company G-V from Newark to Tokyo... or from Memphis to Honolulu," said UPS Corporate Travel Relations spokesman Chuck Noland. "Up to 15 ETPs may be loaded onto an A300-600F, providing an economical single mode of transport... as long as those executives don't mind being loaded and unloaded via forklift."

Todd Grey, project manager at Duncan, admits there are other hurdles to overcome before ExecuPods become commonplace. "For one, there's no lav inside... which also makes the wet bar kinda problematic on a 10-hour flight," he said.

"Also, there's the issue of a cargo-only airline transporting passengers... but we're thinking there's a way to Part 135 our way around that one."

Though the project is still only in the development stages, both parties believe ExecuPods may enter limited charter service by 2014. Prices and handling charges were not announced.

FMI: www.execupod.com